Plastic slicing knife gauge



June 26, 1962 D. c. D. COLICCI 3,

PLASTIC SLICING KNIFE GAUGE Filed Sept. 9. 1960 Donafo C. D. Cal/cal 1N VENTOR.

9 BY Wm and Wave; 3M

United States Patent 3,040,431 PLASTIC SLICING KNIFE GAUGE Donato C. D. Colicci, 30-44 33rd St, Astoria 2, N.Y.

Filed Sept. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 55,079

3 Claims. (Cl. 30--284) This invention relates to a novel and useful slicing knife gauge adapted to be removably secured to a knife gauge for providing a means whereby the thickness of the slices to be cut from bulk material may be accurately determined.

In addition to providing a'means for determining the maximum thickness of a slice to be cut from bulk material, the knife gauge of the instant invention is also \adapted to guide the movement of the knife in order to cut a slice from bulk material with the slice being uniform in thickness throughout.

Various types of knife slicing gauges have heretofore been designed such as that disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,793,435, dated May 28, 1957. The knife slicing guide disclosed herein, as well as the slicing guide disclosed in the above referred to patent includes the provision of a rigid guide member movably mounted for movement in a plane paralleling but spaced laterally from the plane of a knife blade. A means is provided for adjustably positioning the guide transversely of the knife blade and the entire gauge construction is provided with means for removably securing the gauge to the upper marginal portion of a knife blade remote from the sharpened edge thereof. The present invention resides in the provision of an improved manner of movably mounting the guide member for movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the knife blade and an improved manner "for adjustably positioning the guide member laterally of the knife blade. a

The main object of this invention is to provide a knife gauge for mounting in spaced relation relative to the plane containing the knife blade and with the knife gauge so disposed as to guidingly engage the last cut surface of the material fromwhich slices are to be cut in order that the slice being cut may be of uniform thickness throughout.

A furdaer object of this invention is to provide a means for adjustably mounting the knife gauge for movement laterally of the knife to which it is secured whereby the thickness of'the cuts guided by the knife gauge may be varied as desired.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a knife gauge which will normally project slightly below the cutting edge of the knife to which it is secured and which is resiliently mounted for movement in a plane paralleling the plane containing the knife blade for movement toward and away from the upper edge of the knife blade whereby as the cut being made by the knife is completed, the knife gauge may be urged upwardly and out of the way in order to enable the knife blade to completely penetrate the material being cut.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the preceding object, is to provide a means for accurately determining the distance each end of theknife guide is positioned from the adjacent portion of the knife to which the gauge is secured.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a slicing knife gauge which will conform .to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and simple in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation asmore fully here- 3,040,431 Patented June 26, 1962 2 inafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the slicing knife gauge shown mounted upon a conventional form of knife;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the'slicing knife FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the knife gauge shown mounted upon a knife, parts of the knife being broken away and shown in section to more clearly illustrate the details of construction of the knife gauge;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of one of the sleeve members utilized to movably mount the guide member for movement in a plane parallel to the plane containing the knife blade of the knife to which the gauge is secured.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing the numeral 10 generally designates the knife gauge of the instant invention which includes a generally L-shaped elongated mounting member generally referred to by the reference numeral 12. The mounting member 12 is provided with a pair of generally inverted U-shaped clamping assemblies on its opposite ends each generally designated by the reference numeral 14.

With attention now directed more particularly to FIG- URE'I of the drawings it will be noted that the elongated mounting member 12 is removably secured on the knife blade 16 of the knife 18 by means of the inverted U-shaped clamp assemblies 14 which each include an adjustable thumb screw 20 for clamp ingly engaging the knife blade 16. It is to be understood that the entire knife gauge is to be constructed of materials which will not normally rust or corrode. In the construction of the knife gauge certain parts may be more conveniently constructed of a non-corrosive metal, while other parts may be more conveniently constructed of plastic or similar materials.

The mounting member 12 also includes a pluralityof depending flanges 22 which cooperate with the L-shaped mounting member 12 to provide a downwardly opening channel for receiving the upper marginal portion of the knife blade 16. I

A mounting member 12 also includes a pair of lateral ly extending and horizontally disposed mounting brackets generally referred to by the reference numeral 24, which may be formed integrally with the mounting member 12 if desired. The mounting brackets 24 each include a lon-v gitudinally extending mounting slot 26 for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully set forth.

A generally U-shaped guide member generally referred to by the reference numeral 28 is provided and includes a pair of generally cylindrical legs 30 interconnected by means of a bight portion llZextending between the lower ends of the legs 30. The upper endsof the legs 30 are externally threaded as at 34 and are slidably received.

through a pair of mounting sleeve assemblies generally referred by'the reference numeral 36, see FIGURE 5;

The mounting sleeve assemblies 36 each include a hollow I The externally threaded portion of each of the sleeves 38 is passed through the corresponding mounting slot 26 from the bottom of the corresponding mounting bracket 24 and is secured therethrough by means of a retaining wing nut 44 having a threaded bore 4-6 formed therethrough. Each of the wing nuts 44 is provided with a recessed center portion 48, see FIGURE 4 in which there is disposed or recessed a limit nut 50 which is threadedly engaged with the upper externally threaded portion of the corresponding leg 30. In this manner, retraction of the legs 30 through the sleeves 38 is prevented by means of the limit nuts 50.

The bases 42 each include an upstanding guide flange 52 on one end and a generally L-shaped pointer member 54 on the other end. Each of the mounting brackets 24 also includes a pointer slot 56 having indicia 58 adjacent and extending therealong. The base 42 of each of the mounting sleeve assemblies 36 slidingly engages the undersurface of the corresponding bracket 24 with the guide flange 52 thereof slidingly engaging one longitudinal edge of the bracket 24 as at 60 and with the L- shaped pointer member 54 thereof projecting through the slot 56 and registering with the indicia 58. In this manner, each of the mounting sleeve assemblies 36 is slidably mounted on the corresponding mounting bracket 24 for sliding movement therealong. The guide flange 52 and the L-shaped pointer member 54 of each mounting assembly 36 provides a means whereby movement of the bearing sleeve assembly 36 is guided throughout movement longitudinally of the corresponding mounting bracket 24 and is retained in position against rotation relative to the mounting bracket 24 to which it is secured.

A compression spring 62 is disposed about each leg 30 and at its opposite ends in frictional engagement with the corresponding end of the bight portion 32 and the corresponding plate 42. In this manner, the U-shaped guide 28 is resiliently urged downwardly to a position projecting slightly below the sharpened lower edge '64 of the knife blade 16. The limit nut 50 may be utilized to readily adapt the knife gauge for knives having blades of different heights whereby the bight portion 32 may always be positioned normally slightly below the cutting edge of the knife to which the gauge 10 is secured.

It will be noted that the bight portion extends slightly beyond the legs 30 as at 66 on each end so as to provide an abutment for the corresponding coil spring 62.

In operation, the thumb screws are first utilized to removably secure the knife gauge 10 to a given knife along the upper edge of the latter remote from the sharpened edge thereof. The limit nuts 50 may then be rotated on the externally threaded portion 34 of the legs in order to properly position the bight portion 32 relative to the cutting edge of the knife so that the bight portion projects slightly below the cutting edge. Then, the wing nuts 44 may be loosenedin order to properly position the U-shaped guide 28 laterally of the knife blade to which the gauge is secured. Both ends of the U-shaped guide 28 are positioned an equal distance from the mounting member 12 in order that the cut gauged will be uniform in thickness throughout. After the U-shaped guide has been properly adjusted laterally of the knife blade, the wing nuts 44 may then be tightened and the knife to which the gauge is secured may be utilized to cut the desired thickness slices from bulk material.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those 4 skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be restored to, falling Within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A slicing knife gauge for gauging the thickness of slices to be cut from bulk material, said knife gauge comprising an elongated mounting member, means on said mounting member adapted to removably secure the latter along the upper edge of a knife blade remote from the sharpened edge thereof, a pair of mounting brackets carried by the opposite end portions of said mounting member projecting laterally to one side thereof, a generally U-shaped guide including a pair of generally parallel legs interconnected by a bight portion, said mounting brackets each including means for slidably mounting one of saidlegs for longitudinal movement of the latter with said guide disposed in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the knife blade to which the gauge is secured, means resiliently urging said guide downwardly, means carried by said guide and engageable with a portion of each of said brackets for adjustably limiting downward movement of said guide, said brackets also including means for adjustably positioning said mounting means longitudinally of said bracket and laterally of said mounting member, said mounting means including a pair of sleeves through which said legs are slidably disposed, each of said sleeves including an enlarged lower end portion, said adjustable positioning means comprising a longitudinal slot formed in each of said brackets in which the corresponding sleeve is slidably disposed with the enlarged end portion thereof abutting the lower surface of the corresponding bracket, said adjustable positioning means including adjustable clamp means carried by the portions of each of said sleeves disposed through said slots and preventing withdrawal of said sleeves from said slots and cooperating with said enlarged end portions to clampingly engage said brackets to retain said guide in adjusted position longitudinally along said brackets, said brackets each including means for indicating the spacing of said mounting means laterally of said mounting member and longitudinally of said brackets, said brackets including a second pair of longitudinally extending slots adjacent and paralleling said first mentioned slots, determining indicia on the upper surfaces of said brackets adjacent and extending along said second slots, said indicating means including a generally L-shaped pointing member carried by each of said enlarged end portions and slidably disposed in said second slots.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said enlarged end portions each include an upwardly projecting guide flange remote from said pointer slidably engaging a longitudinal side edge of the corresponding laterally extending bracket.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said resilient means includes coil springs disposed about said legs and between confronting surfaces of said bight portion and said enlarged end portions through which said legs'are slidably disposed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 605,944 Wright June 21, 1898 2,793,435 Colicci May 28, 1957 2,856,688 Kopel Oct. 21, 1958 

